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Legends of the Hidden Temple
Decepticon Message: 2/61 Posted Author Signal Intelligence Fri Nov 28 Shade ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *A simple text message signed with Shade's private crypto key.* After a diversionary attack against the Autobot and EDC forces on Monacus to make time for Galvatron to search for information leading to the Matrix, I decoded radio signals between the Autobots and EDC discussing someone or something named Al-Manaq on Delta Parvenu Ten. From the context, it seems that may be our opponents next stop on this particular treasure hunt. Autobot Message: 3/92 Posted Author Al-Manaq and Delta Parvenu Ten Sat Nov 29 Red Alert ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A quick text-only report from Red Alert. "I'll leave the details of the Monacus mission to those who were present, but the general conclusion was: Gycony doesn't have the Matrix, but he thinks he might know who does, or at least who might know where it is: Al-Manaq on Delta Parvenu Ten. I've done some research, but information is sketchy. Al-Manaq is rumored to be a font of wisdom, but he forces people to particpate in physical and mental trials in order to learn what he knows. Delta Parvenu Ten is known for its high mountains and vast rainforests. It's noted to be fairly dangerous, although native technologies are relatively low. "Please be aware that both the Decepticons and the Hollow Men have the names of the person and the planet, and with it they could probably look up what has been presented here." Hidden Temple This stone structure is extremely spacious and well-built inside. Moss has grown over some parts, but many intricately carved sculptures can be seen. A moat with gently bubbling water surrounds an internal island wherein strange challenges are set up. On this artificial island, there are steps with wrought metal panels leading up the stone head of Al-Manaq. Behind the steps and the stone head, there is a second, smaller temple, full of both treasure and traps. Forest warriors, decorated with paint, feather, and leaves, prowl the whole complex. Foxfire has arrived. Shockwave has arrived. Catechism has arrived. Shade has arrived. Shade, having no real way of getting here through space, hovers down behind Shockwave in 80's cartoon fashion sans an explanation. After the mess on Monacus, she wants to see if it was worth the pain of getting creamed by the EDC commander to get to this stage of the treasure hunt. I think I'm on Fireflight says, "these two are seriously peices of work. One always seems to back up her arguments with "We indians were here first. All you white people froze to death when you first came here!" and believes Cabbits are actually Rabbit/cat crosses. The other one is a drug user who's the most unhelpful woman ever with a whiney voice and usually nc/ns at least once or twice a month and threatend to toss out my shoes, cause she kept twisting her ankle tripping over them... my WHITE shoes which were left in a CORNER of the employee area, on the DARK BLUE carpet." Foxfire seems to be the only Autobot who's made it here. Somehow, the rainforest makes him feel comfortable, almost like he's right at home. If there were actual forests on Cybertron, that would actually make sense. He winces a bit as he heads to the temple, having gotten some water on him while make his way through the lush jungle. He starts to shake himself dry. "Why does it have to be so WET?" he grumbles to himself. Clutch has arrived. Shockwave descends in his space laser form, cruising over the forest in search of any energy signals amidst so much entangling biomass. "Be alert for anything remarkable," he instructs Shade. "We do not know the appearance of the 'Al-Manaq' creature." Gears has arrived. Blue GT-R drives fast to catch up with Foxfire, tires slipping a bit here and there, but always managing to regain traction. He slows down a bit when he reaches the small Autobot, keeping pace with him. "Sorry I'm late," he mentions off-handedly. Foxfire blinks and perks his ears. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm just glad I'm not here by myself." He looks around to see if any other Autobots have arrived. Gears rolls after Foxfire and Clutch. "Hey, wait up!" he complains, "You know I'm not that fast!" He almost slips on the worn floor. Catechism arrives from, well, the general sky. She's in robot mode right now, but that's not to say she arrived that way. She says nothing as she touches down, instead bouncing up lightly on the 'toe' section of her foot and watches the others, a faint, confident smile on her face. Sideswipe has arrived. Sideswipe arrives along side the gathering of Autobots, carried in on a rocket pack and pure sexy, "Should have brought Tempo's whip.." he notes alloud as his feet meet the earth, thrusters cutting as he brings for his rifle. As soon as the first Transformers make it into the temple, torches burst to light, burning with a spicy scent, the torches nearest the doors lighting first. The light of the fire can even been seen from outside through the doors, flickering through the trees. The large alien warriors that protect the temple snap to attention, but they do not make any immediately threatening gestures. Instead, they watch the intruders curiously. The last pair of torches to light flank a carven stone face. After they catch fire, the eyelids of the stone face slide open with the grinding noise of moving rock, revealing a bright red pair of eyes. Could it be - the master of this domain is a silicate-based lifeform? Clutch transformers into robot mode! Shade's chin snaps up at the sudden flare of light in the distance. "Something extraordinary like that for instance?" She points down at the faint light of the temple flickering through the dense forest below. Foxfire gives Gears a look. "I'm not that fast either, you know. What are *you* complaining about? And Sideswipe, this isn't Indiana Jones. Be quiet." He abruptly stops, blinking at the spicy scent. His gaze drifts around at the alien warriors, and he tenses slightly, looking apprehensive. "This place gives me the creeps..." "That will do, yes," agrees Shockwave. "Catechism, form on me and establish a perimeter. Shade, infiltrate the alien compound and search for the Matrix." Sideswipe's features crack into a crooked smile, a laugh erupting from him as he looks to Foxfire, "Hah, are you kidding?" he barks, motioning to ther temple ahead, making his uncautious way forward, "All we need are some blowguns and a rolling rock befor we hear from Spielberg's lawyers!" He's not worried, he's excited. Clutch takes in the warriors, then half-turns to gesture urgently at Sideswipe, one hand is open and flat (and empty) with the palm parallel to the ground. He moves this hand in a downward motion. Then he turns back to face the temple again. "Al-Manaq? 'Scuse us, we were told this was where we could find an 'Al-Manaq'? And that he knew about something...um, something very important to us?" Clutch ends by tapping one finger on the Autobot symbol on his chest. Shockwave angles his thrusters and heads for the temple, skimming over the trees. If the aliens had geiger counters they might have had more luck noticing him before he arrived. Catechism looks up at Shockwave, and nods. "As you command, sir," she answers, lifting up to take position near Shockwave. She follows Shockwave towards the temple, flying in silence as she watches the area. Shade smirks. "Done and done." She dives toward the treeline and seems to vanish from sight as she shrinks down to a spider not more than an inch across. The spider quickly scurries down a tree and begins crawling through the undergrowth toward the stone temple. With any luck she'll be able to bypass the Autobots entirely... Shade folds and shrinks dramatically until she reaches the size and shape of an ordinary garden spider. Shade silently moves out of sight. Foxfire snorts and lightly swats at Sideswipe's leg. "If this *does* turn into an Indiana Jones adventure, I'm not going into a pit of snakes." Americon has arrived. If the Matrix is here, it certainly isn't obvious at all. Any number of bizarre contructs that vaguely seem to belong on an obstacle course - and indeed, a boulder or two, just sitting there - litter the interior of the temple. The stone head's mouth moves, with that same noise of rock grinding, and he greets those inside with a low, reverberating voice, "I am Al-Manaq - and this is my temple." The alien warriors bow when Al-Manaq speaks. It would seem the talking head is the boss around here. Outside the temple, various rainforest birds caw at each other. Shockwave transforms, hovering in place for a moment before he cuts his jets and slams down through the trees to land on his feet on the soft ground before the temple. "Americon, I choose you to engage the Autobots while Catechism and I penetrate the facility." He flings something small from his hand towards Sideswipe and Foxfire, then turns and fires a searing ultraviolet laser beam at one of the alien guards outside the temple. The giant "laser" unfolds back into a big purple space robot. Spider crawls through the entrance and starts skirting around the perimeter of the room, sticking to the dark shadows where the walls meet the floor. It pauses for only a moment to regard the stone head before beginning a search for a trap door or rear entrance to the main chamber. It doesn't take a genius to look for the man behind the curtain in this setup. Sideswipe casts Clutch a crooked look, a brow launching upwards, "What's that supposed top mean?" he mutters quietly. Sideswipe knew one piece of sign-language, it involved the middle finger. Foxfire is reassured with a, "I'm sure there's not going to be any snakes." it is said with a Shrug as he walks forward, "If anything it will probably be a spike death lava pit." He continued on, passing guards without a moments notice unless otherwise halted, perhaps crushing a spider beneath his heel, "Wait.. Almanac?" he says coming to a stop, "This guy's named after-" and then Shockwave barges in, "Oh hey, Decepticons." 1983 Chevy S-10 transforms and scowls at the incoming Decepticons. "Oh great. We're all going to die," he murmurs, "You wait and see. They'll double-cross us faster than Blurr can run." Gears unfolds and rises from the ground, standing before you in robot mode. Did he have that scowl even as a Truck? Sideswipe says, "They have to be ion our side befor they can double cross us, Gears." Catechism isn't actually inside. She's outside, with Shockwave. She nods in agreement with Shockwave, then studies the structure, though she doesn't fire anything just yet. Instead, she takes back to the air and starts to fly around the structure, looking for weak points. Patriotic Cassette is flung towards the Autobots, transforming into robot mode as he cries, "As you command, Shockwave!" Landing near Foxfire, his first terrible act is to... kneel? "Foxfire? Will you... marry me?" From behind his back, he produces a velvety black case, which contains a beautiful, sparkling diamond ring. Someone's finger is still attached to it, but still, the ring must be really valuable. "Hold on a sec, Sideswipe," Americon says to the larger Autobot. "I'll get to you in a second." Americon undergoes a patriotic transformation into his All-American robot mode! Clutch nods slowlly and solemnly before responding to the giant stone head. "Yes, it's a very nice temple..." he trails off, looking over the constructs and boulders inside. "We're here because we're looking for an artifact sacred to the Autobots." He gestures at his symbol again. "It's vital to our people, maybe the most important thing to the Autobots." When he notices the Decepticons start coming in, Clutch talks faster, in a lower voice that's filled with sudden urgency. "And we've recently learned that it may be the only way the for the Autobots to save countless beings and /entire civilizations/ from destruction." Foxfire just stares at Al-Manaq for a moment. He inches closer to his comrades, murmuring softly, "I'm getting odd 'Wizard of Oz' vibes here..." As Shockwave makes himself known, he goes quiet, save for a deep growl emanating from his vocalizer. He takes on an offensive posture, tail erect and ears lowered. Oh, hey, one of Soundwave's tapes! "Americon!" ... "What?" "Aw man!" cries Sideswipe, his rifle placed absently against his shoulder, "I always cry at weddings." The guard outside the temple brings up a polished shield - which actually deflects the bolt. Hmm. Seems the technology level here isn't as primitive as first glance would suggest. He sneaks off into the forest. Is he running away... or going for reinforcements? Al-Manaq's voice turns deceptively mild, "Ah, Transformers. I had been expecting you. Play your games if you wish. I have no interest in them, only in my own." The stone face looks slightly disapproving and perhaps bored. The glowing red eyes flick over to Clutch, and Al-Manaq answers, "I happen to be quite knowledgeable about antiquities, being one myself, but if you want to learn what I know, you'll have to play my games." A pause. "And perhaps remove the savages outside who are attacking my guards." Spider freezes in place as Americon comes tumbling through the doors and lands in a proposal pose. She's not quite familiar enough with Terran culture to understand the significance of the ring, but the tape's voice is plenty loud to carry across the temple to her hiding spot. What the frell is he up to? Catechism hasn't attacked any guards! She's just flying around the temple, trying to see if there are any obvious weak looking spots. Gears says, "Don't tell me /they're/ here for the same thing we are." Americon stands up, frowning. "Shockwave wants you and me to get engaged. So say yes and take the effing ring already! GEEEZE. Autobots these days. So *dumb.*" He shakes his head, disappointed. Then, he asides to Al-Manaq, "Shockwave is actually quite civilized, sir!" "Adjustments must be made to the timetable," announces Shockwave to Catechism. "The aliens only appear to be primitive. Their shields are made of some kind of deflector shielding. We may not be able to acquire the objective as simply as originally calculated." He enters the temple and raises his voice. "Al-Manaq. Your expertise in materials science is recognized, but there are limitations to what personal shields can manage. I represent the Decepticons. We have significant forces in orbit. You will treat with me, or we will raze your forest from orbit, disrupting your planetary ecology." Foxfire snarls. "Can it, Americon, and take that ring back where you found it. THEN tell your 'friends' to leave this place, and get off this planet!" "Games?" asks the Crimson Catastrophy, turning his attention away from the touching moment of homosexual love reaching across factional borders. He turns about and joins Clutch befor the scrutiny of the rocky visage, "What kind of games? Strip poker, Yahtzee, mono-" he begins.. Shockwave interupts the conversdation, Sideswipe looking back to Captain Winky and properly proclaiming him, "Quite a Dick you are, sir. Hmm Yes." "He won't be able to tell us much of anything then," Catechism points out calmly as she finishes her 'circuit' of the temple. She touches down and again bounces up on the fronts of her feet. "With due respect, sir, maybe it'll be best to play along for now?" Shockwave adds to the giant stone head, "We require the Matrix of Leadership. It is in your best interest to bargain with us, that we will not have to destroy you. Tell us what you require in exchange for it." Gears starts grumbling again. "With any amount of luck, these 'games' they're talking about aren't win or lose...they're probably live or die." He scowls. "What a way to go." Clutch leans his head just a little bit, so that it's fractionally nearer to Al-Manaq, without actually stepping closer. "It's the -Autobot- Matrix of Leadership..." he looks at Al-Manaq grimly. "And we'll do whatever you ask to get it back." He points at Shockwave. "Someone has to protect people from the Decepticons, and those like them." Americon gapes, shocked and despairing at Foxfire. "You... you won't marry me? I..." He closes up the case, turns around. With shoulders slumped, he walks away, the closing theme of The Incredible Hulk TV series playing as he goes. It's one of the few songs he has in his memory banks that doesn't have a patriotic theme. Grimlock has arrived. Foxfire says, "Yeah. Let's play Monopoly for the Matrix!" Al-Manaq points out, tone still deceptively mild, "Ah, the /carbon-based/ planetary ecology, you mean? I have seen the tallest trees grow from seedlings." But how? Isn't he a stone head inside a temple? Hmm. "I can watch again." However, now that Shockwave is actually bargaining, Al-Manaq explains, "All that I require is that you complete a few simple trials. Even a pebble could complete them." One of the guards gestures over to the moat, a large pile of ropes, and to a series of gongs on the other side of the moat. Al-Manaq concludes, "For the first trial - lasso the gong lever to sound the gong." Foxfire rolls his optics. "Americon...since when do Cybertronians even *have* marriage ceremonies? Even if we did, it wouldn't work. We're on opposing sides, remember? Now stop being stupid." He whips around to face Al-Manaq. "Do not listen to the Decepticons! They are not to be trusted!" He pauses, and tilts his head. "Uh...how...how am I supposed to do that without hands?" Spider shudders. Soundwave has screwed up on laser core creation before, witness Slugfest for instance, but Americon appears to have set a new low for the master spy's engineering experiments. Al-Manaq suggests wryly, "Throw the lasso with your teeth?" "Wait. Whut?" Yes Grimlock is here- though he's stomping up towards the back of the gathering- he rumbles a menacing growl at the Decepticons, but doesn't start wade in swinging...yet, at least. Seems someone gave Grimlock the 'Don't cause a diplomatic incident' memo. He spares a glance at the Autobots present, and lets out a dismissive grunt. Well, at least Sideswipe's a good fighter. Clutch checks his Dexterity against 60: Failure :( Foxfire lowers his ears. "That's what I thought...pain in the tail... Well, I'll do it." Foxfire checks his Dexterity against 60: Failure :( Clutch takes up a lasso, glancing at the Decepticons somewhat wearily. "Just throw them over those levers?" He manages to completely miss one. "Just do your best, Foxfire..." Then Clutch tugs gently on the rope, pulling it back to try again. Catechism grins. "Oh, my! It sounds like Foxfire's all ready disqualified! Such a pity!" She walks over to the pile of ropes and chooses one. Catechism, of course, uses a whip. One would think that you could apply similar techniques, and yet, she takes her time to examine the lasso before she throws it, trying to sound the gong. Gears checks its Dexterity against 60: Success! Sideswipe marches right up to one of the assorted lassos, "It's a good thting that I've spent a lot of time practicing lassoing turbo horses on Cybertron!" he proclaims in a uncharacteristic cheery manner as he picks up a rope and begins to whirl it over his head with surprising skill, "All I have to do is loop this around that gong and give it a good pull, well here I go! Lassoing, don't fail me now!" he narrates himself as he casts it out.. this pose brought to you by golden age comic books everywhere. Sideswipe checks his Dexterity against 60: Success! Spider gives up on the search for another exit from this place and returns to robot mode, discarding her cover. She steps forward and reaches for a rope... Shade's legs pull in and her form twists around as she reverts to a 20 foot robot form. Shade checks her Dexterity against 60: Failure :( Americon checks his Dexterity against 60: Success! "The Decepticons are superior," announces Shockwave with no great excitement. "Collectively, we are highly likely to succeed at any trials put forth to us." He reels a cable out of his wrist, spins it over his head (sadly he does not yippie-ki-yay) and slings it towards the gong lever. "That not so hard!" Grimlock says- and grabs hold of a line, chucking it very, very hard at those particular levers. "Me Grimlock good at throwing lots of things!" Grimlock checks his Dexterity against 60: Success! Shockwave checks its Dexterity against 60: Success! Fleet checks his Dexterity against 60: Success! Foxfire glares at Catechism. "I am NOT disqualified! I'll show YOU..." His ears twitch. "Ah...?" Now that's odd. Catechism...doesn't smell like herself. In fact, she almost smells like... "Wha?" He blinks, turning toward Grimlock, as if noticing him for the first time, and now distracted from Catechism. "Where'd YOU come from?" Grimlock grunts at Foxfire. "Me on ship. In back." he grunts, and effortlessly tugs the rope so as to pull the lever so as to sound the *GONG!* Americon humphs at Foxfire. "Just because we are on different sides, are robots, and have the same gender programming does not mean we cannot engage in a pointless relationship that will make us both traitors! But fine, so you are a JERK, I will win this trial, and I will win it..." He runs up to one of the ropes, ties it into a lasso, then hurls it at a gong lever. "...IN AMERICA!!!" Successfully lassoing the level, he pulls on the rope, eliciting a loud BONG! "Hahaha! In your face!" Gears is pretty good at lassoing things. Who knew? He tosses the looped line and catches it on the gong, making it ring. Foxfire facepaws. "We're not in America, you moron..." Commander Shockwave says, "Cyclonus, an update: the Al-Manaq is a silicate being. It is skilled in materials technology and has manufactured personal armor for its minions that deflect energy weapons. However, it is willing to bargain with us. It will assist us in the matter of the Matrix if we successfully navigate what appears to be an obstacle course." Americon says, "The Autobots don't have a GHOST of a chance!" Clutch winds up his rope and prepares to give it one more try, wincing as most of the others get their gongs ringing on the first shot. Finally, he spins his lasso around to sling it again. "Is that a friend of yours, Foxfire?" he mentions casually as he lets it fly. Shockwave tugs the gong lever and reels the cable back in. He stands aside for a moment to transmit a radio message. Clutch checks his Dexterity against 40: Success! Success! Sideswipe rings the bell gleefuly, "Yeah, how about that, clankers!?" he calls out laughing, reeling the rope in and giving it another shot. Sideswipe checks his Dexterity against 40: Success! Shade frowns and retracts the rope as it falls short. This is somewhat tricker than it appeared. She sets her feet and tries again, snaking the rope toward the lever... Shade checks her Dexterity against 40: Failure :( Catechism BEAMS as the gong sounds. She withdraws her lasso, checks it again, then studies the next group, although she takes a moment to frown at Foxfire's attention. Then she just shakes a head and makes another try. Fleet checks his Dexterity against 40: Success! Catechism looks quite smug as she manages to sound the gong a second time. Foxfire snorts at Clutch, gesturing to Americon with a front paw. "Him? Like hell. He's a 'Con. And a stupid one, at that." He grabs his rope in his jaws, snaps his head to the side, then to the other side, releasing his hold. He fails. "I really need to work on that..." Foxfire checks his Dexterity against 40: Success! Shockwave checks its Dexterity against 40: Success! Sideswipe stabs a finger out at Catechism, "Hey, njo looking smug in the first round!" Shade checks her Dexterity against 20: Success! Shockwave glances aside at Sideswipe as he repeats the process exactly. "This is a simple task. You will most likely fail if-slash-when the tasks become more difficult." Shade growls and throws the rope with full force a third time. Thankfully her failures seem to cease... for the moment. She tugs and rings the gong. Sideswipe says, "Kiss my driveshaft, Captain Winky." Catechism protests, "I can look smug whenever I want to, Autobot! It's not for the likes of you to determine when I should look smug!" She withdraws the lasso, then waits for the next round, or whatnot. "I do not have a mouth," replies Shockwave blandly. Shockwave has partially disconnected. Grimlock checks his Dexterity against 40: Success! Americon checks his Dexterity against 40: Success! Grimlock continues to ring some gongs. "This stupid." Grimlock grumbles, and glares accusitorily at the Decepticons. "YOU stupid too! So me Grimlock win this game anyway, 'cuz me am BEST THERE IS." Gears checks its Dexterity against 40: Failure :( Americon sneers at Foxfire, "This STUPID Decepticon is kicking your buttplate, FOX. So what does that say about YOU?!" He rings another gong for good measure. Sideswipe says, "Yeah... well.. you only have one hand!" Gears grumbles and throws again, but misses. "What's the point of this? What are we, cowboys? Or Indiana Jones? Maybe they should give us a whip instead of a lasso." Shockwave can't argue with that. Sideswipe put him in his place. Foxfire growls dangerously at Americon. "Don't make me bite you, BIPED." He grabs the rope again, and tosses it, this time lassoing the gong, which promptly sounds. Well, one out of two isn't bad, he supposes. Al-Manaq reports, "The little red-white and blue, the grey-winged, the big grey, the large purple, and the red lead with 5. The little grumpy one follows with 3. The red black and white," Clutch, "and the fox follow with 2. The spider trails with one. Perhaps better luck with this next trial - of agility!" Suddenly, rocks fall. They're small rocks, actually, and they shoot out from slits in the walls. They start out hard and peter off. They don't hurt, but the objective seems to be to dodge them. Shockwave checks its Speed against 70: Failure :( Shade checks her Speed against 70: Failure :( Foxfire checks his Speed against 70: Failure :( Americon checks his Speed against 70: Failure :( Sideswipe checks his Speed against 70: Success! Fleet checks his Speed against 70: Success! Shockwave must have been too discouraged by Sideswipe's teasing about his lack of hand to be ready for the sudden falling rocks because one of them bongs right into him and knocks him over. Shockwave checks its Speed against 70: Success! Shockwave is ready for the second one, though. Clutch checks his Speed against 70: Success! Sideswipe is too good for your stinking rocks! He's bobbing, weaving, jumping and scooting. Shade is caught off guard and immediately pinged by several small rocks. She twists hard to avoid them, but to no avail. One catches her in the leg and sends her momentarily to her knees. Sideswipe checks his Speed against 50: Failure :( Catechism's optics widen as the rocks shoot out at her from all directions. She twists and spins, docking, weaving, and dodging. Her motions almost take a dance-like appearance, complete with a flourish as she finishes. Americon bends over and smacks his backside at Foxfire. "Oh, yeah?! Well you can bite me right here! Yeah, right--AGH!" It's just then that a rock smacks right into his aftplate, flipping him and over and over until he lands on his face. "You did that, didn't you!?" he yells, presumably at Foxfire. Sideswipe's luck runs out with the slow-balls however, cracked up-side the coconut with a ruck that only leads to more! Foxfire yelps as the rocks start falling. Normally, he is pretty agile, but this time, not so much. One rock hits him square on the head. As he rubs it wit ha forepaw, he blinks at Americon. "Um...no, I didn't. You just suck." Grimlock checks his Speed against 70: Failure :( Gears checks his Speed against 70: Failure :( Americon checks his Speed against 50: Success! Shade checks her Speed against 50: Success! Grimlock is hit. By a rock! THis...doesn't seem to phase him too much. "Ow! What this?" he snarls, and crushes a rock to dust with one of his massive hands. "Me Grimlock think this even get MORE stupider!" Foxfire checks his Speed against 50: Failure :( Clutch checks his Speed against 50: Success! Grimlock checks his Speed against 50: Failure :( Shade pushes back to her feet and this time has more luck, bobbing and weaving between the small hailstorm of rocks. "Hit me once shame on you... hit me twice..." Americon shoots up to his feet, yelling, "Oh, do I, now? Well, I bet you didn't realize you could do THIS!" He promptly transforms into tape mode just as another swarm of rocks rolls by him. Once they pass, it seems the tiny little tape made it through without being further injured. Gears is hit by rocks. "Is this a game, or the playground? Stop throwing those!" he says, fistshaking. Little rocks bounce off his tough outer shell repeatedly. *plink plink plink plink* Americon collapses and shrinks down into a very tiny cassette labeled, "America's Most Patriotic Hits!" Clutch flings himself to the ground, allowing rocks to go flying over him. Then he rolls to one side and the other to avoid a few more, finally coming to a stop on the far side of the temple. He climbs to his feet carefully, looking around to make sure the barrage is over. Gears checks his Speed against 50: Success! Eventually Gears either gets lucky, or manages to dodge some rocks. "Oh great, now I'm going to need a paintstripping, repainting, AND a wax job. I feel like Sunstreaker after a battle with the Decepticons, for Alpha Trion's sake. And I think I got some of these pebbles stuck in my crankshaft." Clutch comes back to the other Autobots. "You're doing fine, Gears. You too Foxfire. Just stick with it. We need both of you to do this." He shoots a glance at the Decepticons, trying to see if any of them are dented or scratched or showing any other signs of being hit by rocks. Then he looks at Al-Manaq, waiting for whatever's next. Foxfire continues rubbing his head... Al-Manaq's red eyes light up with amusement as the tables turn for some... and get worse for others. "It would seem the grey-winged dove has taken the lead, with 10, followed by the red devil with 8, the little red, white, the big purple, and blue robot, the red, white, and black with 7, the grumpy one and the lizard with 5, the spider with 3, and the fox with 2." He pauses, seemingly deep in thought, then a guard gestures over to the boulders. Al-Manaq explains, "Throw the boulders into the moat the create a bridge." Sideswipe checks his Strength against 80: Success! Americon checks his Strength against 80: Failure :( Foxfire checks his Strength against 80: Failure :( Shade checks her Strength against 80: Failure :( Fleet checks his Strength against 80: Failure :( Clutch checks his Strength against 80: Failure :( Gears checks his Strength against 80: Failure :( "Me Grimlock good at throwing things!" he says, and then grabs hold of a handy boulder which he *HEAVES!* across the way- "Can rest of th cotest just be throwing things? Me good at that!" Grimlock checks his Strength against 80: Success! Catechism's optics widen as she spies the boulders. She shakes her head, then goes to push against them, but fails to budge them. She curses slightly, then steps back, frowning at the rocks. Gears grabs a boulder, but it slips out of his hand. "Blasted slippery rock," he mutters, "Is this some sort of joke?" Sideswipe shakes off the static and climbs to his feet. This next challange seems more daunting then the last. Still with a smile and a laugh he makes his way over to the boulder and lays those black mits on her. "Come on, Baby, let's make a hrk- Splash!" he sweet talks the rock as he hefts it up and casts it towards the moat with a cry of "HUAH!" as it splashes down beside Grimlocks! Foxfire starts pushing a boulder with his head, much like an elephant would. He only manages to budge it about an inch or so, and after that, it won't go any farther. "I wasn't made for this!" Patriotic Cassette snorts at the stone head. "Your tests are so easy, I would not be surprised if I discovered that you were carved by Frenchmen! Ha ha ha!" He cracks his knuckles, approaches a boulder ten times his size, and says, "Now watch a mighty Decepticon make short work of your pathetic test!" Placing his hands under the boulder, and with a mighty grunt, he actually manages to heave it up above his head. "Ha! See? Simple as all-American apple pie!" Then his hands slip and the boulder falls on him. *CRUNCH* Clutch struggles with a boulder, but can't even get it off the ground. He finally resorts to just rolling it towards edge of the moat. He peers over the edge, looking at the few other boulders that have been deposited, and trying to figure out where he can push his to do the most good in creating a bridge. Finally he spots an area that was missed by the previous boulder-throwers, and pushes his over the edge, trying to drop it where it will fill the gap. Americon undergoes a patriotic transformation into his All-American robot mode! Clutch checks his Strength against 60: Success! Americon did that in robot mode. Gears checks his Strength against 60: Success! Shade sighs and doesn't have much hope of budging rocks that size. She reaches down to lift one, but only manages to strain her back servos. She's not made for raw feats of strength. Spotting Clutch's strategy she shrugs and gives it a heave. Maybe rolling will be more successfull... Shade checks her Strength against 60: Failure :( or not... Foxfire checks his Strength against 60: Failure :( Grimlock checks his Strength against 60: Success! Americon checks his Strength against 60: Success! Fleet checks his Strength against 60: Success! Sideswipe is laughing over the strain as he makes his way to a smaller boulder, "You two, Sweetheart, water's just fine." he flirts as he gives it another go. Sideswipe checks his Strength against 60: Success! Foxfire just stares at the boulder that has rolled onto Americon. "That's gotta hurt..." Gears grabs the rock again, getting a firmer grip this time. And he heaves, trying to help form the pathway. "My pulleys are squeaking again," he mumbles, as he throws. No lie, you can actually hear a *squeeeaaaaaaaaaaaak* as Gears moves his arms. "It okay!" Grimlock says, gloatin in the directin of everyone else. "Not everyone can be as strong as me Grimlock." a pause. "NOBODY AS STRONG AS ME GRIMLOCK!" Catechism darts back, taking to the air, and looks for another, smaller boulder. She spies one and dives for it, putting all her strength and momentum behind pushing it into the lake. *SPLASH!* This time, she succeeds, and there is a new stone bridge. Shockwave checks its Strength against 60: Success! Then... "NYAAHHHH!" Americon SCREAMS as he flings the boulder off of him and into the water. "Nah, it didn't hurt as much as some of the injuries I have sustained!" he says, wiping his hands of the dust and grinning. To the other Decepticons, he yells, "It is fortunate I am here to win these games for you!" Shockwave not only picks up one of the boulders, he picks it up ONE-HANDED. He gives Sideswipe a significant look. Sideswipe says, "Yeah well.. You only have one eye too!" Shockwave checks its Strength against 80: Success! Shockwave chucks in an even bigger one just to show Sideswipe who's boss. Shockwave compares its Strength to Grimlock's Strength: Success! Shockwave makes sure the second rock he puts in is as big as Grimlock's too. "Incorrect, Grimlock." Sideswipe compares his Strength to Shockwave's Strength: Failure :( Shockwave has some kind of Thing About The Dinobots ever since that one time with the tar pit. Grimlock pauses, and glares at Shockwave. "Uuuuh. That not count!" he fistshakes at the Decepticon commander! Score Recap Americon: 3 2 0 2 0 2 (9), Catechism: 3 2 3 2 0 2 (12), Clutch: 0 2 3 2 0 2 (9), Foxfire: 0 2 0 0 0 0 (2), Gears: 3 0 0 2 0 2 (7), Grimlock: 3 2 0 0 3 2 (10), Shade: 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 (3), Shockwave: 3 2 0 2 3 2 (12), Sideswipe: 3 2 3 0 3 2 (12) Al-Manaq does not seem impressed by the robot macho posturing, perhaps because he is a carved stone face. After a quick recap of the scores, he booms, "Step across the bridge, now, if you dare." A stone table raises from the floor of the temple with a rumble. "And place your hands on the table." The stone table appears to glow red-hot! While the heat isn't real, and it causes no damage, the pain is real - and takes courage to overcome. Sideswipe checks his Courage against 80: Failure :( Gears checks his Courage against 80: Failure :( Foxfire checks his Courage against 80: Failure :( Americon checks his Courage against 80: Success! Sideswipe checks his Courage against 60: Failure :( Shade checks her Courage against 80: Failure :( Foxfire checks his Courage against 60: Success! Shade checks her Courage against 60: Success! Gears touches the table--and immediately draws back with a howl. "YEEEOOWCH!" he cries, "This is going to fry my hand sensors for a week! And it feels like the paint is peeling on my fingers!" Shockwave checks its Courage against 80: Success! Shockwave checks its Courage against 60: Success! Grimlock checks his Courage against 80: Success! Shade walks across the bridge and places her hands on the table, but quickly snatches them back with a snarl. She glances around to see all the other Decepticons going through with the task and then considers Shockwave's prefered methods for dealing with cowards. This may be the safer route after all. She grimaces and puts her hands back on the table. Sideswipe strides across the gap and readily places his hands upon the table only to then jerk them away immediatly, "Ow, oh screw that!" he barks, refusing to take a second.. And then Shockwave beats him, "Hey, that guy's cheating, he's only got one hand!" Grimlock, still irate at Shockwave (and decepticons in general), storms forwards towards the red hot table. "Grrh! Me Grimlock not 'pressed!" and he presses his hands onto the table. Grimlock checks his Courage against 60: Success! Clutch checks his Courage against 80: Success! Clutch checks his Courage against 60: Success! Foxfire scurries across the bridge, reaches out to the table, and promptly draws it back with a yelp. "My poor paw..." Americon struts across the bridge, smirking confidently. "Hahaha, fools! Pain is my friend, and I would like to introduce you to him some time, perhaps after the show! We can have some drinks and catch up on old times!" Having botched a famous line, Americon slaps his hands down on the table--and gasps! "Oh, geeze! This really does hurt! Ow ow ow! OWWW!" He grits his teeth together, and for a moment, he is tempted to pull his hands away, but then he muses, aloud, "Must... not... be weak... what would... George S. Patton say?" Americon checks his Courage against 60: Success! Gears checks his Courage against 60: Success! Shockwave approaches the table undaunted. He only has one hand, he's already been through this. He plants his hand on the table and holds it there, expressionless as usual. However, he does notice Shade having some trouble and offers his fellow Decepticon a few words of advice. "You must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death which brings total obliteration. You will face your fear." Clutch puts his hands firmly on the table. At first he flinches just a bit at the pain, but manages to hold both hands firmly in place. The pain builds until he's wincing, but he looks up at Al-Manaq solemnly. "I don't think you understand...how important the Matrix is to us. Not just for our sake...but for everyone's!" George S. Patton would say, "A piece of spaghetti or a military unit can only be led from the front end." But he isn't here. Fleet checks his Courage against 80: Failure :( Foxfire shakes his paw. It's not actually burned, but it feels like it is. He snorts, a few tiny flames flickering in his mouth. He rears up onto his hind legs and places both paws on the table now, claws digging into it. So far he has mostly failed, but he's not about to give up. "Okay, okay, gotta get ahold of myself," Gears tells himself, "Gotta succeed so we can get this blasted Matrix." So he again puts his hand on the table. "Well, that wasn't so bad...oh wait, I think the heat is overmelting my lubricant..." Americon looks like he would cry if he could, but even so, he keeps his hands right where they are on the table. "What... would... Samuel Adams say? What... would... Abraham Lincoln say? No! I shall perservere! I shall win! For America!!! Aieeeee!" Fleet checks his Courage against 60: Success! Catechism places her hands against the table, but as soon as the burning starts, she shrieks and withdraws them. Odd, this, from someone who has been known to go one on one against Superion. She shakes her head, then leans forward, trying again... this time a success, but then, she's more prepared. Sideswipe just knows better then to touch a hot stove. Shade glances up at Shockwave through the pain radiating up from her hands. "Yeah I got it already. When does this end?" The Insecticon is having strong second thoughts about having touched down on this planet... "When the giant stone head says that it does," replies Shockwave. He sounds like he could stand there touching a hot stove all day. Maybe he does. The Decepticon chain of command are weird. Score Recap Americon: 3 2 0 2 0 2 3 2 (14), Catechism: 3 2 3 2 0 2 0 2 (14), Clutch: 0 2 3 2 0 2 3 2 (14), Foxfire: 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 (4), Gears: 3 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 (9), Grimlock: 3 2 0 0 3 2 3 2 (15), Shade: 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 (5), Shockwave: 3 2 0 2 3 2 3 2 (17), Sideswipe: 3 2 3 0 3 2 0 0 (12) Suddenly, the stone table cools. Al-Manaq rumbles a recap of score and says, "I am aware of what your Matrix is worth to you, but my knowledge is dear to me, and I will not part with it lightly, so show me that you can hang on!" Trapeze bars made of vines and logs lower from the ceiling. The objective seems to be to hang on as long as possible without falling off. Shockwave checks its Endurance against 50: Success! Foxfire checks his Endurance against 50: Failure :( Shockwave checks its Endurance against 70: Success! Grimlock checks his Endurance against 50: Success! Grimlock checks his Endurance against 70: Success! Sideswipe checks his Endurance against 50: Success! Gears checks his Endurance against 50: Success! Shade checks her Endurance against 50: Failure :( Sideswipe checks his Endurance against 70: Failure :( Foxfire checks his Endurance against 70: Success! Shockwave reaches up and seizes the trapeze bar. His hand locks around it like a manacle and he just hangs there. He looks like he could hang there until the polar ice caps melted for all he cares. Clutch checks his Endurance against 50: Success! Gears checks his Endurance against 70: Success! Clutch checks his Endurance against 70: Failure :( Fleet checks his Endurance against 50: Success! Fleet checks his Endurance against 70: Success! Americon checks his Endurance against 50: Success! Americon checks his Endurance against 70: Success! Gears grabs on and hangs for dear life! "Suuuuure. Now we'll be hanging here until our ball bearing joints rust, or our arms fall off. This better be worth it..." Grimlock hangs onto the trapeeze as if there weren't anywhere else in the world he'd rather be- though with no faceplate, there's no real way to tell just WHAT his expression is. "Hnf!" Catechism reaches up and grasps the trapeze bar, shutting off her antigravs as she does. She holds on tight, and stays in place, though it's hard to be sure that she's not just cheating on this one. Sideswipe doesn't hang in there for too long, son his black mits slip away. Shade leaps up to grab the bar, but immediately slips off again and lands in a heap on the floor below, sending up a cloud of dust. This kind of performance is usually reserved for Wheelie. The sooner she gets off this planet the better. Shockwave looks down at Shade from where he's hanging onto the bar. This is going in the report. Foxfire grabs onto the trapeze with his jaws. As he sqiurms and tries to pull himself up, he falls back down. "Ow..." He shakes his head, and snarls at the bar. "I'll show you..." He snatches it again, and successfully grabs onto it with his claws as well, pulling himself up. Clutch leaps up and grabs the trapeze...then slips and falls to the ground again. "Uh..." he looks briefly embarrased, then tries to cover it by answering Al-Manaq. "But if knowledge is so valuable to you, we can share ours with you! Autobot scientists love to work with others, for the betterment of all!" He shoots a triumphant look at the Decepticons. "And we have knowledge of more than just military science. The Autobots have so much learning in...in construction, geology, marine biology, architecture...you name it!" Shade checks her Endurance against 70: Failure :( Shade looks up at the bar and considers trying again but gives up and just sits in a depressed heap on the floor. "Fraggin stone whatzits..." she grumbles. Americon grabs onto the trapeeze, and begins to swing around with it, kicking his legs back and forth to build momentum like an amateur circus acrobat. "Weeee!" he says. "I'm having more fun that time I accidentally burned an orphanage down to the ground!" CUE FAMILY GUY-ESQUE FLASHBACK "Please help us!" cries a child as she and several other children, trapped in a burning orphanage, beat their little hands against a window. Americon, safely outside of the orphanage, stares at the fuel canister at his hands, then at the kids. He shrugs apologetically, and says, "Sorry, my hands are full!" "This is ridiculous. Who ever heard of Autobots on the flying trapeze? Or Decepticons for that matter," Gears mutters. He still holds on tightly. Mainly because falling will probably hurt. Score Recap Americon: 3 2 0 2 0 2 3 2 2 3 (19), Catechism: 3 2 3 2 0 2 0 2 2 3 (19), Clutch: 0 2 3 2 0 2 3 2 2 0 (16), Foxfire: 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 (7), Gears: 3 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 3 (14), Grimlock: 3 2 0 0 3 2 3 2 2 3 (20), Shade: 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 (5), Shockwave: 3 2 0 2 3 2 3 2 2 3 (22), Sideswipe: 3 2 3 0 3 2 0 0 2 0 (14) "Silence," intones Shockwave in Clutch's direction. "Obey the giant head." He's probably just saying this because he's doing well at the tests, considering that before he learned they were laserproof his plan was just to murder everybody. Al-Manaq booms out the scores, and on a stone scoreboard, the names of the Transformers and their scores appear in a cloud of dust. Wait, how does he know their names? Has he known them all along? Hmm! To Clutch, he answers, "I have my methods, which are... satisfactory." Just think how much he has learned about the Transformers by putting them through these fiendish and inconvenient trials! "First, to the spider and the fox, go DVDs of Disney's Beauty and the Beast." A pair of guards hold out copies of said DVDs to Shade and Foxfire. Wait... what? Moving along now... "And to Shockwave, today's champion of the temple games, a codex. You see, the only matrix here is the rock matrix from which I was hewn." Geology humour. Groan. "Solve the riddle of the codex, surely no trouble for a machine, and you'll have the coordinates of where you may find... a Matrix." A guard offers Shockwave a cylinder caved out of bone with various numbers along the side. Seems it needs to be twisted and decoded to release with clue inside, and it seems to be designed to douse the internal contents with ink if someone just tries to break the cyclinder without solving the riddle. Despite Al-Manaq's claim, it's a fiendish codex that will keep even a genius like Shockwave working for a while... right until before Galvatron's next installment of Matrix Quest! Meanwhile, the guard that Shockwave tried to shoot, notable for his scorched shield, has returned, and he slips over nearer to Clutch. What could he want? Seems he's trying to sneakily pass a smaller copy of the codex to Clutch. Looks like he didn't enjoy being shot at. Clutch palms the mini-codex, flickers one optic at the guard that offered it to him in an Autobot equivalent of a wink, then turns to watch Al-Manaq again as if nothing happened. Shockwave takes the codex in his hand. "It would have been preferable if you had given me this in the beginning. My superiority was never in doubt, beyond a six percent margin for error." He examines the codex for a few moments. "If you were not functionally indestructible this would end differently. However, that not being the case, I will simply take my leave. Decepticons: we depart." He turns on heel and walks out. Grimlock growls. "Grrh! Me Grimlock should have won! Do 'nother test! Like...one where purple guys no get points!" he snarls, and he pulls out his Galaxial Rocket launcher. Americon points two fingers at his optics, then points around the room at the Autobots, then struts as he follows Shockwave out. Foxfire flicks his ears, looking quite puzzled. "How did you get DVDs...? And how do you know what Disney is?" He takes his prize gently in his jaws. Sometimes it sucks not having hands. Shade transforms and skitters out behind Shockwave, disgusted with the entire affair. Strangely, she does bother to take the DVD. Primus knows what she means to do with it... Shade's form twists and fluctuates until it reaches the form of a twenty foot mechanical spider. Fleet has arrived. Catechism fades from view. Al-Manaq looks non-plussed by Shockwave. Shockwave won and has his codex. Who cares if it took a little longer? To Foxfire, Al-Manaq merely comments cryptically, "I have my ways." Answer: The Galaxial Internet. This hidden temple gets satellite reception. Shade has left. As Shockwave turns to leave, 'Catechism' turns after him. The light around her takes a strange aspect, and fuzzes out, as though suddenly losing focus. Catechism's colors are cast on all those in the room for just a moment as the field redirecting the light is let loose, and then, the Seeker standing in Catechism's place fires on Shockwave from behind. Fleet misses Shockwave with his Freeze Ray attack. "Oh great, so the Decepticons get the information. I feel like Tonto after The Lone Ranger sends him into town," Gears complains. Clutch shakes his head at Grimlock. "I'm as frustrated as you are, but we can't just start shooting them. Not for beating us at a game." He watches the Decepticons leaving. "They just--" He breaks off, starting at Fleet in shock. "Look out, they're shooting...wait, at each other?!" Gears says, "They cheated." Foxfire stiffens, ears standing straight up. "I *knew* it!" he exclaims upon witnessing "Catechism" turning into Fleet. Shockwave suddenly detects a change in the electromagnetic field in the tunnel, spinning just in time to take his body out of the field of fire and return fire with his left hand; as he does so, however, he is winged in the right shoulder, freezing his arm from shoulder to hand. The codex drops from his numb fingers. "Decepticons, it is the traitor Fleet. Seize him immediately." Shockwave strikes Fleet with Ultraviolet. Sideswipe eyes Fleet making his move, sure he lost, "Hey, atleast we can all join in on shooting fleet!" he chimes, drawing his rifle, "I should have known, there's no way Catechism could have resisted my manly charm and charisma! She would have been kissing my boots!" Foxfire gives Sideswipe a look. "Your ego is just as bad as Sky Lynx's, I swear. Now shut up and try not to get killed!" Grimlock just stares down at Sideswipe. "...Me Grimlock think you idea flawed." he murmurs- but he looks back over at Fleet. "Me like smashing stuffs anyway!" he says, and pulls his double-blaster out, setting out with a barrage of his own! As soon as Shockwave drops his codex, Fleet dives for it, though it's not nearly fast enough to avoid Shockwave's blast - it crosses the Seeker's back, leaving an ugly, blackened scorch mark, tearing through the armor and leaving sparking circuitry open. Still, the Seeker makes a grab for the codex as he flies for Shockwave, attempting to slip past him to exit the temple. Al-Manaq frowns and declares, "Poor sportsmanship, that. Guards, fetch Shockwave a replacement prize!" Apparently, Al-Manaq just keeps a whole stack of clue-filled codex cylinders around his temple. A guard does do, handing Shockwave a second codex. This one isn't as pretty the first, but it's functionally the same, and it's doubtful that Shockwave cares about how pretty his codex is. Clutch produces a rifle of his own. "Grimlock, wait! We can't just...oh, forget it." But instead of shooting, he drifts over closer to Al-Manaq, standing roughly in front of him in position where he can shield the giant stone being from stray shots. He raises his rifle but just moves it back and forth, pointing it at the various Decepticons present. Americon stares for moment, then launches into action! "COOOOOBBBR--wait. Never mind." With great vigor, he jumps forward, transforms into eagle mode, then launches himself at Fleet's head, trying to give him a good pecking! Americon's robot legs pop out metallic feather-like objects as they and his lower torso split apart, also revealing an eagle head. The arms and robot head join the main body, and his guns convert into tail feathers and rocket launchers. Americon is now a bald eagle! Americon misses Fleet with his Peck attack. Grimlock misses Fleet with his Double-Blaster! attack. Shockwave meant to put that ultraviolet laser beam straight through Fleet instead of down his back. He determines to do better next time, but without the twenty-four seconds he needs to spool up his reactor to full power, he can only point at Fleet and fire weaker laser shots at his back as the Hollow Man makes good his escape. Fleet manages to snatch up the codex, nimbly evading attacks from both Americon and Grimlock as he does, displaying that agility that let him dance around the rocks earlier. Once he's past Shockwave, he has a clear path towards the temple exit, one he takes full advantage of as he moves out at high speed. Fleet begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Robotic Bald Eagle , Sideswipe, Clutch, F-35B Lightning II , Shockwave, Foxfire. Shockwave strikes Fleet with Infrared. "Smile for the birdy!" hoots Sideswipe, drawing a bead befor shooting.. wioth lasers! Robotic Bald Eagle fires a barrage of patriotically colored lasers at Fleet out of his eyes, trying to catch him in the knees or so. "Stop, in the name of the President! CAW!" Sideswipe misses Fleet with his NotLaser attack. Americon strikes Fleet with O' say can you see lasers. Foxfire snarls a bit and darts toward the edge of the temple, where he abruptly stops, immediately releasing a stream of flame at the retreating Seeker. Foxfire strikes Fleet with Fire. "Oh great, he's getting away," Gears moans, "And my laser gun jammed." Shockwave uses his infrared laser to melt the ice off of his hand, and looks around for the codex. Hmm. Instead of chasing Fleet (which would not do any good considering how fast Fleet can move) he goes back inside the main temple chamber. "I require another codex," he tells the giant head. "Someone stole ours." The guard that was already dispatched to give Shockwave his not-as-pretty codex holds out to the second codex to Shockwave again. Shockwave notices the guy standing there offering him the codex. He had indeed lost track of it during the confusion of the sudden inevitable betrayal and the subsequent brief firefight. He silently takes the second, less attractive codex without complaint and goes away again, gripping it tightly in his fist in case someone ELSE should suddenly materialize out of nowhere and try to steal it. Fleet is concentrating more on fleeing than dodging, and thus takes several of the shots aimed for him. Still, before long he's in open air, and zooming towards his ship. Grimlock vanishes out of reality. Grimlock has left. Robotic Bald Eagle perches on Shockwave's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, sir! I'm sure you'll figure it out way faster than him!" Clutch relaxes once the shooting stops, nodding respectfully to Al-Manaq. "I meant what I said about sharing our knowledge...I'm sure there are plenty of Autobot scholars who would love to compare notes with you." He smirks. "No games necessary." Then he turns and hurries off, nodding at the other Autobots. "I need to get back to the ship to file a report. They're gonna want to hear about this as soon as possible." Clutch transformers into sportscar mode! "That is highly probable," concurs Shockwave as he trudges through the forest, ignoring the stink-eye from the guard who almost got lasered earlier. "Nevertheless it is problematic that the traitors will have the opportunity to decode the codex at all. We will have to move quickly." He launches into the air and transforms, blasting off on a pillar of slightly radioactive smoke. Shockwave undergoes a simple transformation, safety seals interlocking as he converts into a giant "laser." Shockwave vanishes out of reality. Shockwave has left. Clutch has left. Sideswipe vanishes out of reality. Sideswipe has left. Foxfire has left. Gears has left. Autobot Message: 3/93 Posted Author AAR: Al-Manaq & Delta-P X Sun Nov 30 Clutch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After the spinny Clutch appears on the screen, evidently in the giant main corridor of the Orion Pax. From off-camera you hear loud engine noises, tires sqealing and other racing sounds. "Foxfire, Gears, Sideswipe, Grimlock and I all went to the planet Delta Parvenu Ten to follow up on our latest Matrix lead. The Decepticons got there at just about the same time as us. We met Al-Manaq in his temple, and he turned out to be a silicate life-form shaped like a giant stone head. Uh... anyway, Al-Manaq was only willing to help with our search if we performed a series of physical tests he called games. Things like dodging flying boulders, throwing lassos over levers, resisting pain and other activities. We each had our strengths and specialties, but we all did our best and I have to say we made a good showing at everything...the only problem was that the Decepticon Shockwave matched or surpassed us all in virtually every event. He was rewarded with a 'riddle codex' that Al-Manaq promised would lead to 'a Matrix'. Luckily, one of Al-Manaq's guards also gave us a copy of the codex. It's in our lab now for investigation." The off-screen racing noises seem to be getting louder, and Clutch's optics flick off to one side before he hurries on, "One more interesting thing is that the ex-Decepticon Fleet was there, somehow disguised as Catechism. He stole a riddle-codex himself, so it looks like we're back in a three-way race. And speaking of racing..." Clutch transforms and speeds off-camera, and after a few seconds picture auto-spinny's. Decepticon Message: 2/62 Posted Author AAR: D-Parvenu X.mp3 Mon Dec 01 Shockwave ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ An audio file dictated by Shockwave. "After action report, Delta Parvenu Ten. Commanding officer Shockwave reporting. "'Catechism,' Shade, Americon and I descended from the Absolution to the planet, encountering Grimlock, Sideswipe, Gears, one of Blaster's inane minions and a generic Autobot referred to as 'Clutch.' Although the sparse native inhabitants of the jungle planet appear primitive, they are under the protection and guidance of a silicate life form of significant intellect, possessing notable abilities in xenocultural research and metallurgy. An initial attack revealed the presence of deflector plating of good quality in the shields and deceptively non-ornamental body armor of the natives. "The silicate being, self-designated "Al-Manaq," is effectively invulnerable to harm, and extremely long-lived. It is a stone head approximately thirty feet in height, growing out of the bedrock. As an aside it closely resembles stone heads located on Earth, a fact which may bear closer examination when time allows, particularly since it was in possession of a set of 'Beauty and the Beast' DVDs, obviously acquired on Earth. "Al-Manaq was only partially amenable to bargaining, unmoved by my threat of deforestation and by the Autobots' moral arguments. It set a series of physical tests before both our team and the Autobots: skill, strength, reaction time, ability to withstand pain and weariness. I defeated the Autobots in every test and was awarded a cylindrical stone object bearing encrypted glyphs which Al-Manaq described as being a clue to the whereabouts of the Matrix of Leadership. "It was at this point in the mission that 'Catechism' shed a holographic disguise and revealed himself to be the traitor Fleet, who seized and escaped with the codex under fire from both our forces and the Autobots. I recommend that Catechism change her color scheme so that this does not happen again. Fortunately Al-Manaq simply produced a second codex for me, since I had legitimately won its challenge. "Unfortunately for Lord Cyclonus' collection, the planet possesses no postal service, and therefore we were unable to collect any postage stamps. Apart from the nigh-indestructible temple to Al-Manaq it also contains no significant material resources. Refined energy sources are unknown there. Overall it is not a particularly useful planet. "I am currently decrypting the codex to determine the next planet on our itinerary. Initial results suggest a warning or taboo. End of line." Reaver Epilogue Dead Universe Everywhere is dead. Red rocky outcrops spread as far as the eye can see, and above, there is no sky, no space, only a bloody red expanse. Flames flicker on random ridges with nothing obvious burning. And yet there are signs of life. Huge, Transformer-sized footprints litter the dusty windless plains, and the still atmosphere is tense with... something. Chains lead down into what looks to be a bottomless pit, lined with cobbles with flames licking around the side, and a smaller black pool lies to the south, still and shimmering. Contents: Fleet Reaver Shuttle Pool Obvious exits: Rift leads to Medusa Cascade. Nightbeat is snoozing with half his optical band on, leaning against a pile of red rocks with his arms behind his head. Zzz. He dreams in infrared, bloody dreams of murders where the culprit that he chases is ever and only himself. Fleet pilots the shuttle in straight through the right that leads to space, ignoring the whole oily pool route. He lands in a relatively clear field, though doesn't worry about avoiding the fire - ship's already on fire, after all. As it happens, he lands near the rock where Nightbeat is resting. "Nightbeat," he says by way of greeting, resisting the urge to shout. Nightbeat appreciates that Fleet didn't shout. He stirs easily and looks over at Fleet, opining, "Honey, you look like slag warmed over, and the warmed over is only 'cos you stepped off a flaming ship." Nighhtbeat gets to his feet and saunters over to look the Seeker over. "Want me to take a look at that? I'm no medic, but I can put some Bondo on it." Fleet hands Nightbeat the codex, first and foremost, and then nods. "I'd say that you wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get that, but it's written all over my body." He brightens. "I came in third, though. Only Grimlock and Shockwave did better." Nightbeat takes the codex and fairly purrs, "Well, you know how to treat me right, that's for sure." He plays with the codex, turning the tumblers about, listening to it thoughtfully. "A nice piece of work, this. It'll take me a while to crack it. But c'mon, tell me the whole story. You can't tease me like that." He stashes the codex away and pulls out his detective kit and the aforementioned Bondo, looking to at least make an attempt at patching some of Fleet's wounds. Nightbeat begins work on Fleet's minor injuries. Your repair attempt is successful, and Fleet's self-repair systems can handle the remaining damage. Fleet is still standing. He lifts his arms over his head, stretching, to let Nightbeat have access to the worst of his injuries. "Really? And it wouldn't be more fun for you to figure it out by reading my injuries?" the Seeker teases good-naturedly. Then his voice grows more serious. "That Al-Manaq guy... I showed up to his planet disguised as my old Commander, Catechism, and infiltrated the Decepticons as they competed against the Autobots for that thing." Nightbeat works at Fleet's wounds, possibly more competent than would be expected of him. If Nightbeat wasn't wasting his life as a detective, he could have easily been a neurosurgeon. He snorts. "Make up your mind, sweetheart. Y'want me working on that codex or on what you drank for dinner last Thursday? So, this competition..." "Series of contests," Fleet explains. "Aim, agility, strength, endurance, pain. That sort of thing. Succeeding gets you points. Succeeding when it gets easier gets you less points." Fleet shakes his head. "Unfortunately, Shockwave won." He pauses. "Although I did take third, behind him and Grimlock. But third didn't get me the codex. Shooting Shockwave in the back is what did that." Nightbeat grins, rather nastily. "Ah, so you got one over ol' one eye, eh?" He looks quite pleased by this - Shockwave is a pain. "But I bet you had to blow your cover." Nightbeat has done what he can with the patch job, but it'll keep the snow and dust of Alkor Zephyr out, anyway. Fleet inclines his head. "I did," he says, stepping away and lowering his arms. He turns towards Nightbeat. "In fact, I'd say that there's probably no doubt in their minds that I'm capable of holograms by myself. Since I'm done hiding it, though, that means that maybe I can find someone to help make them more fuel efficient." Nightbeat tilts his head to one side and asks, "Wait, your holograms aren't fuel-efficient? But they're just... light." He pulls out the codex to fiddle with it again. Hmm, there's definitely an ink canister in there, listening to it. "Mine are forcefields," Fleet answers, watching Nightbeat examine the codex. "Forcefields that I use to bend light. That takes a lot more energy than the traditional methods, because forcefields themselves take a lot of energy." Nightbeat continues to play with the codex and chatter with Fleet about technology in the vast bleakness that is the Dead Universe. The credits roll.